We use computer constantly in our work and daily life, as a result it becomes quite important to keep computing safe from current and future threats. These 7 quick and easy tips I am about to explain will help protect your hardware, software, and data in your computer running Windows.

1. Updates Windows Automatically. If your PC has been off for a few days, don’t wait for Windows automatically updates for you. You should better first visit Windows Update site when you surf the Internet. Also, there may be a lag between when a patch is available and when Windows Update pushes it to you. Microsoft releases Windows patches on the second Tuesday of each month, so to be safe check for updates manually every couple of weeks. And don’t forget to set your antivirus and anti-spyware tools to update automatically (or check weekly for updates yourself).

2. Don’t Allow “HideFile Extensions for Known File Types”: Some viruses pretend as harmless file types by adding a bogus extension near the end of their name, as in “funnycartoon.jpg.exe,” in hopes your system is set to hide such extensions you see ‘.jpg’ but not ‘.exe’. To make these troublemakers easier to spot, open Windows Explorer or any folder window and click Tools >> Folder Options >> View. Make sure that “Hide file extensions for known file types” option is unchecked.

3. Enable and Configure a Firewall: A firewall is a device that controls the flow of information between your computer and the internet, similar to a router. Most modern operating systems include a software firewall. In addition to the operating system’s firewall, the majority of home routers have a firewall built in. Refer to your user’s guide for instructions on how to enable your firewall. Once your firewall is enabled, consult the user’s guide to learn how to configure the security settings and set a strong password to protect it against unwanted changes.

4. Install and Use Antivirus and Antispyware Software: Installing an antivirus and antispyware software program and keeping it up to date is a critical step in protecting your computer. Many types of antivirus and antispyware software can detect the possible presence of malware by looking for patterns in the files or memory of your computer. This software uses virus signatures provided by software vendors to look for malware. New malware is discovered daily, and vendors frequently make new signatures available, so 3antivirus software will be most effective if the signatures are up to date. Many antivirus and antispyware programs offer automatic updating. Enable that feature so your software always has the most current signatures. If automatic updates aren’t offered, be sure to install the software from a reputable source, like the vendor’s website or a CD from the vendor.

5. Remove Unnecessary Software: Unnecessary software increases the opportunities for attack. Intruders can attack your computer by exploiting software vulnerabilities (that is, flaws or weaknesses), so the less software you have installed, the fewer avenues for potential attack. Check the software installed on your computer. If you don’t know what a software program does and don’t use it, research it to determine whether it’s necessary. Remove any software you feel isn’t necessary after confirming the software is safe to be removed. Back up important files and data before removing unnecessary software in case you accidentally remove software essential to the operating system. If possible, locate the installation media for the software in case that someday you need to reinstall it.

6. Modify Unnecessary Default Features: Like removing unnecessary software and disabling nonessential services, modifying unnecessary default features eliminates opportunities for attack. Review the features that came enabled by default on your computer and disable or customize those you don’t need or plan on using. As with nonessential services, be sure to research these features before disabling or modifying them. The AutoRun feature in Microsoft Windows systems was a default feature at the time of the Conficker malware and was one of the three ways computers became infected. When the AutoRun feature is enabled on Windows computers, Windows detects when removable media, such as CDs and USB storage devices, are inserted into the computer and automatically executes the media’s contents.

7. Scan attachments for viruses: Run each of the e-mail attachments you receive through your antivirus software before you open them. Rather than double-clicking the attachment to open it instantly, save the file to a drive on your PC, open Windows Explorer, right-click the file, and choose the option to scan it for viruses. (Better yet, set your antivirus software to scan incoming and outgoing e-mail automatically.)

Don’t worry! Forgetting Windows XP password is nothing serious actually. You may have heard of the only way to regain access to the locked XP machine is to format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system. In fact, you don’t need to risk in doing that since it doesn’t cost time but also cause necessary data loss. Well, thanks to the rapid development of technology, especially in the field of computer software, we now can easily and quickly remove or change forgotten password for Windows XP-based computer. Below are two ways to troubleshoot Windows XP password forgot problem.

Way 1 : Ophcrack LiveCD—Best freeware to crack Windows XP password.

Type Ophcrack in any search engine, you will easily find there is pretty much information about this program. It is quite popular recently for it has been regarded as the best freeware to crack forgotten Windows password so far. Below are the specific steps to use this tool:
How to crack Windows XP password with Ophcrack LiveCD?
Step1: Free download the Ophcrack LiveCD software.
Step2: Burn the ISO file of Ophcrack LiveCD to a disk.
Step3: The Ophcrack LiveCD disk you just burned is a “bootable” disc. So bring this disk to the computer which you cannot get in to and then set this PC boot from the burned disk.
Step4: The burned disk will crack passwords for all user accounts created on your XP PC automatically.

However, one of the very limitations of this freeware is that password cracking efficiency. By using Ophcrack, one cannot use it to crack Windows password with exceeding 10 characters. For better crack your forgotten Windows XP login password, you need to seek for professional Windows XP password recovery tool.

Compared with freeware—Ophcrack, Windows Password Recovery Tool has no limitations faced with recovering Windows passwords. That means, no matter how long or how complex the password is, this tool can crack it efficiently. Still feel hesitated between freeware and professional tool? Then, let’s see how professional software – Windows Password Recovery Tool works first.
Step1: Download Windows Password Recovery Tool Standard and install it to another accessible computer properly.
Step2: Insert a blank and writable CD/DVD to computer, and then click “Burn” button to start burning an ISO image file to the CD or DVD.
Step3: After finis the burning, remove the CD or DVD from the computer and then insert this CD or DVD to the locked computer.
Step4: Set the locked computer to boot from CD or DVD in BIOS.
Step5: Reset the forgotten windows XP password with burned CD/DVD. Within minutes, you then can access to your computer without password again.

Note: The above steps on how to crack forgotten XP password are based on Windows Password Recovery Tool Standard, one of the 4 versions of Windows Password Recovery. Additionally, if you want to change Windows XP password when it is forgotten, you then can use the last version of this tool—Windows Password Recovery Tool Ultimate to solve the problem!

Situation 1: Windows XP machine can still be logged in.
If you have forgotten or lost Windows XP password, but you can still log in to the system with another user, there are two ways you can regain access to the account so that you won’t lose privilege to any program, document stored in that account.

Way 1: Reset lost password Windows XP from Control Panel.
Step1: Log in with the accessible user.
Step2: Click Start, Control Panel and User Accounts in order.
Step3: Pick the specified Windows account whose password you want to reset.
Step4: Click on Remove the password.
Step5: Now restart your PC and log in with the target user. (Note: No password is needed.)

Way 2: Change lost Windows password XP from Computer Management.
Step 1: Log on your XP profession computer with the accessible user.
Step 2: Right-click Computer and select Manage.
Step 3: Click Local User and Groups, and then click Users. And all the accounts will be listed for you.
Step 4: Right-click target account and select Set password.
Step 5: Leave the password text field blank and click OK.

Situation 2: Windows XP machine has been locked already.
To reset a forgotten or lost password on Windows XP when there is still access to the computer is pretty simple. However, when there is no access to XP machine, the above ways won’t work at all since the situation would become complicated. Though complicated the situation is, we can still find effective ways to cope with it. Below is the exact way to reset a lost XP password.

Way 3: Use Windows Password Recovery Tool.
Windows Password Recovery Tool 3.0 is powerful lost Windows password reset software. No matter the password you’ve lost is a local or a domain password on any Windows operating system, Windows Password Recovery Tool can help you solve all the possible lost Windows password problems.Here’s how Windows Password Recovery Tool works:
Step1: Download and install, run the Windows Password Recovery Tool 3.0 on an accessible computer.
Step2: Burn a password reset disk with a blank CD/DVD or USB flash drive.
Step3: Boot the locked computer from the burned CD/DVD or USB.
Step4: Start to remove the forgotten or lost XP password. (Note: If your computer is a domain controller, you can also reset the forgotten Windows domain password in this step.)

One more tip: After you finish resetting Windows XP password lost, it is highly recommended to put up the burned CD/DVD or USB well in case you can use it in future.